News & Updates

County Executive McCoy Announces Social Work Internship Partnership with Saint Rose

Posted: Friday, May 24, 2019 12:00 PM

Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy today announced a new and exciting partnership between Albany County and The College of Saint Rose creating a hands-on, in-depth internship program helping students earn their Bachelor of Science in Social Work.

Students aspiring to help those struggling with everyday problems heal and get back on their feet would work side-by-side with members of the Nursing Division of County Department of Health staff, gaining invaluable work experience and receiving internship credit toward their undergraduate degrees.

“Social workers represent some of the very best of us, helping victims of domestic violence, children living in abusive homes, those struggling with mental health issues and addiction, and so many others. I’m thrilled Albany County can help play a role in helping our brightest students find rewarding careers and achieve their dreams,” said County Executive McCoy.

“While students will want to hit the ground running once they graduate, more and more employers and graduate schools are looking for those with job experience. This partnership will help fill the gaps on our students’ resumes by working directly with our skilled staff and gaining insight with hands-on training, all while helping our most vulnerable residents,” he added.

“We are so excited to partner with Albany County to offer this internship opportunity for our undergraduate social work students. These internships will enable our students to have rigorous and rich learning experiences, while at the same time give back to our local community,” said Dr. Carolyn J. Stefanco, President of The College of Saint Rose.

The internship will be broken up into two phases: for students’ spring semester of their junior year, they will be introduced to the general principles and concepts of social work. Interns will observe and work directly with a county supervisor for eight hours a week in individual, family and group settings, applying class material to real-world scenarios.

For their “Field Placement” during the fall and spring semesters and winter break of their senior year, they will build important skills necessary for engagement, interviewing, researching, assessment and intervention with a range of clients at the Department of Health facility. The entire internship will be a total of 520 hours and will be available beginning February 2020.

This initiative builds on a proud history of the Albany County Department of Health forming similar partnerships with local schools, including Albany Medical Center for pediatric residents, Sage Colleges for nursing students, University at Albany for Master of Public Health Interns and Schenectady County Community College for community health worker interns.